Create Memories, Not Waste - Capital Regional District - December 2020

From gift giving to meal planning, here's how to make the 3Rs work during the holidays!

The holiday season brings a lot of joy into our homes but it can also bring a lot of extra waste. Packaging and wrapping paper, leftover food, plastic toys that often aren't loved for as long as they last ... it all adds to the local waste stream. The good news is that it doesn't have to. Following the principles of the ‘3R pollution prevention hierarchy'—reduce first, reuse second and recycle third—can help to reduce the environmental impact of the holiday season.

Here's ten simple ways to create a holiday that's memorable in all the right ways!

1. Opt for low-waste gifts: Gift experiences—memberships, subscription services, a gift card to a local restaurant; homemade gifts like preserves and cookies; or gifts made to last like heirlooms, camping gear or quality cookware.

2. Recycle shipping materials: Shopping online? Most shipping materials can be recycled—paper envelopes in your blue bag, rigid plastic packaging in your blue box and cardboard can be flattened and cut down (max. 30” square).

3. Recycle bubble wrap, plastic envelopes, inflated air packets and Styrofoam blocks for free at a Recycle BC depot.

4. Go gift wrap-less this year: There are many ways to hide what’s inside without the traditional giftwrap/tape/bow combo. Use materials you already have around the house—things like newspaper, paper bags, old calendar pages or reuse old gift wrap/gift bags. Wrapping a kitchen or food-themed gift? Use a pretty tea towel!

5. DIY your holiday décor: You'll find many decorations right in your own backyard: pinecones, cedar boughs and sprigs of holly look beautiful in a wreath, centrepiece or garland. The added bonus? They smell amazing, too!

6. Green up your holiday dinner: Keep your holiday dinner green by using reusable or recyclable items. Swap out disposable linens, dishes and cutlery for the real deal.

7. Right-size your dinner plans: Having a smaller gathering this year? Reduce food waste by planning portions appropriately and preparing only what you and your guests will eat. Consider buying a smaller bird or forgoing those less popular dishes; save leftovers in reusable containers or deliver them to a friend.

8. Be waterwise: Thaw your turkey in the fridge instead of using running water or reuse the water from cooking vegetables in soups gravies, sauces or for watering the plants.

9. Keep your sink fat-free: Holiday cooking means more fats, oils and greases—save and store fats for use in future recipes or dispose of them in your green bin. Whichever you decide, be sure they don’t end up down the drain where they don’t belong.

10. Recycle your containers: After dinner, recycle your aluminum trays, whipped cream cans, egg nog cartons and deli trays in your blue box, and place paper plates and food scraps in your green bin.

It's that easy! Learn more at www.crd.bc.ca/holidayrecycling.

City of Victoria Participatory Budgeting initiative - Cast Your Vote By November 6, 2020

Don’t Miss Out on Your Chance to Weigh in on How $50,000 Should be Invested to Support Community Projects Benefiting Newcomers!

We’re in the home stretch of this year’s Participatory Budgeting initiative and we’d really appreciate your help getting the word out in our final week of voting. Please help us spread the word by sharing the information below with your networks. We have provided some draft social posts, but feel free to customize to your audiences as you see fit. You can also share the posts being published to the City of Victoria social media accounts.

Facebook/Instagram

Cast your vote by November 6 to help decide which community projects benefiting newcomers should be funded in this year’s City of Victoria Participatory Budgeting initiative. From Food Security to Financial Literacy – there’s a whole range of incredible projects for you to choose from! Vote now for projects YOU believe would best benefit new immigrants and refugees to Victoria.

✅ To vote and view all 26 projects, go to engage.victoria.ca/participatory-budgeting

Twitter

Cast your vote by Nov 6 to help decide which community projects benefiting newcomers should be funded in this year’s @CityOfVictoria Participatory Budgeting initiative. ✅ Vote now at: 

engage.victoria.ca/participatory-budgeting #pbvic

PB Voting video: https://www.youtube.com/embed/qZTj6Do41vU
 

Thank you,

Engagement. City of Victoria

1 Centennial Square, Victoria BC  V8W 1P6

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City of Victoria

Know What to Flush - Environmental Services - Capital Regional District

We often think that our wastewater treatment can handle anything we put down the drain or flush down the toilet. But when you flush things you shouldn’t it makes your toilet and the sewer system work harder, and sometimes not at all.

Wastewater can’t be treated when it doesn’t get through the pipes to our region’s treatment facilities. Flushing inappropriate items can cause costly blockages and backups in wastewater treatment systems, especially if they mix with fats, oils and grease (which also shouldn’t go down the drain).

This can result in increased costs to fix regional pump stations and replace damaged equipment and infrastructure. It can also cause damage to plumbing and septic systems on your property. Homeowners could face additional costs to address sewer backups. In the community, blockages can cause overflows of raw sewage into local rivers and lakes.

This has become a bigger issue in recent years with the increased use of products marketed as “flushable.” They get past the toilet, but unfortunately, they don’t get much further than that. Unlike toilet paper, which has been designed to break down quickly once wet, wipes have been designed to stay together. Only the “Three Ps” (pee, poo and toilet paper) are meant to go down the toilet.

Common unflushable culprits are:

• Wipes and other "flushable" products – disposable wipes (baby wipes, disinfecting wipes, personal wipes) and other items marketed as “flushable” are not actually meant to be flushed.

• Stringy things and plastic – the stringy things you find in the bathroom, like hair and dental floss, can tie together other unflushable waste in the sewer system, creating a big mess. Plastic items like condoms, contact lenses and tampon applicators should go in the garbage, not the toilet.

• Medication – if you flush expired or unwanted medication it can have a negative impact on the marine environment. Medications should be returned to a pharmacy for proper disposal.

  The good news is that it’s not hard, time consuming or expensive to avoid clogs and blockages, you just need to know what to flush. When faced with the decision to flush or not, remember the Three Ps. Nothing else should go down the toilet.

  Help keep the region's environment clean, protect your home and maintain our wastewater infrastructure. For more information visit www.crd.bc.ca/noflush.

CRD Newsletter - PDF Version - click here.

Hallmark Heritage Society - Breaking News - October 2020

Breaking News About the Heritage & History of Greater Victoria

WILL THE BANK STREET SCHOOL BE DEMOLISHED?

CITY COUNCIL SEEKING INPUT

At last Thursday's meeting of the City of Victoria Committee of the Whole, the question of the possible demolition of the Bank Street School at the corner of Bank Street and Leighton Road was discussed.
 
School District 61 proposes to demolish the Heritage Registered building designed by architect David Couper Frame and constructed in 1910.
 
The School District has neglected the maintenance on this building having allowed it to go into a state of decay. There has been no major maintenance since the mid-1970s. Like most buildings of its era it contains asbestos and lead based paints. The School District estimates it would cost more to restore the building than to build a new, replacement structure.
 
City Council could designate building against the owner's wishes but are fearful of being faced with litigation costs even though there could be no loss of property values on the school property and the existing building, by the School District's own admission, has little value. School District 61 never purchased the property and, should at some future date, the School District ever leave property, it would revert to the City of Victoria.
 
The local community, The South Jubilee Neighbourhood Association, is against the demolition. They value the history and heritage aspects of the building. They are currently seeking input from the local neighbourhood so, if you live in the neighbourhood, we strongly suggest you contact your neighbourhood association and express your opinion and that you email the city council and tell them if you wish this building to be preserved.
 
The School District currently have no plans for the property. They just want to demolish it. They will probably put up another parking lot.
 
But unless action is taken quickly, they can apply for a demolition permit and, once the application is in, there is little that can be done.
 
Now is the time for action. Write or email the city councillors and tell them that you want this building saved or at least more action taken to determine its value. Contact the South Jubilee Neighbourhood Association and tell them you want this building saved.
 
The building, once restored, with harmful materials removed and with a sensitive addition of an elevator, could serve for another hundred years as a neighbourhood building, as a community centre, as a childcare centre.
 
Contact the South Jubilee Neighbourhood Association at: board@southjubilee.ca
 
Contact Mayor & Council at: mayorandcouncil@victoria.ca
 

LINK to More Information

The issue in Oak Bay regarding the property at 785 Island Road is interesting. The property is currently nearing the end of a long period of negotiation that seems to have started off with a possible Heritage Revitalization Agreement that would have seen the house preserved and an additional lot created. But Oak Bay and the property owner could not resolve the cost issues related to the creation of the additional lot.
 
As a result, the property owner wishes to demolish the historic house and redevelop the property. Oak Bay is now in the situation of either approving the demolition or designating the house a heritage property against the wishes of the owner.
 
To designate the house against the wishes of the owner may leave Oak Bay is liable to compensate the property owner for losses. Unfortunately, for the Oak Bay Council, these losses are vague and ill-defined and are a threat.
 
As a result of that threat, Oak Bay Council voted against moving the question of designating the house to a public hearing, leaving the demolition of the property open to future negotiations or, to the actual demolition. A protection period of sixty days will soon expire. Hopefully, the two parties can come together again and discuss the Heritage Revitalization Agreement.
 
Everyone on the Oak Bay Council seem to agree that the house had heritage significance and was worth saving. Unfortunately, they cannot agree that it is worth designating against the wishes of the owner.
 
The question of which house should or could be designated against the wishes of the owner is a difficult one to resolve and, if the Oak Bay Council feels that they are lacking in expertise in forming the basis of such a decision, they should seek expert help before allowing this house or future buildings to disappear.

Perhaps Oak Bay and other government bodies need to find a way to evaluate the possible costs of enforced designation - at the least a Class D estimate.
 
Further details regarding the property can be seen through the LINK button below.

LINK to 785 Island

Morley Soda Factory - Waddington Alley - LeFevre & Company

The question of the massive four-story building being imposed on the top of the modest, one-story, Goldrush Warehouses (Northern Junk) at 1314-1316 Wharf St., is still open pending a future City of Victoria Public Hearing.
 
It is interesting to note that local developer of Old Town properties, Chris LeFevre has, over the past twenty or so years, managed to redevelop historic downtown buildings, adding residential units within and above these buildings without placing upon them the crushing overload that we see proposed for the Goldrush Warehouses.
 
Chris LeFevre has added 154 residential units to Old Town Victoria and won architectural and heritage awards for the sensitive manner in which he has done so.
 
Victoria City Council should take a careful look at these and consider what they are possibly going to approve at the public hearing for the Goldrush Warehouses at 1314-1316 Wharf Street. They must expect better and they should demand it.
 
Recent newspaper articles cited Old Town as being a great generator of revenue for the city. It is so because of its architectural beauty and magnetism for tourists. Here, at the edge of the ocean and in the heart of Old Town is where the future lies.

That is part of  Victoria Vision 3.0. The current proposal will damage the tourism portion of that vision.

USE YOUR VOICE - LET YOUR VOICE BE HEARD.